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Blurred Lines Getting Blurrier: Branded Content Moves In-House

Tyler Wilcox : June 29, 2015

[Image credit: Wired/Netflix] It’s hard to think of two more highly respected and authoritative news sources than the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) and the New York Times. But as of 2015, both of these esteemed organizations are in the business of branded content. Since early 2014, the Times’ T Brand Studio has created upwards of 50 Paid Posts: native ads made in partnership with brands such as Netflix, United Airlines and Holiday Inn. Similarly, the Beeb’s just-announced StoryWorks will function like an in-house creative agency, collaborating with brands on content projects. Other old guard media are falling in line. Conde Nast (publisher of the New Yorker, Vogue and Vanity Fair, among others) launched its branded content wing, 23 Stories of Conde Nast early this year. With staffs made up of a blend between journalists and advertising pros, these branded content studios aren’t trying to trick readers into thinking branded content is something it isn’t: every Paid Post you read makes its sponsored status clear, and lives on a subdomain of the Times’ main site. But they are trying to create content that is worthy of their publications’ esteemed reputations – stories that engage, inspire and inform, presented in a dynamic visual style, including infographics, video and interactive elements. You know, something that people might actually enjoy reading and watching. Imagine that! When it works, it works, earning engagement rates from users that rival or even surpass editorial content. With that in mind, here are four recent examples of stellar branded content.

USA Through Film Brand USA/BBC Storyworks

Top Hollywood directors – Spike Lee, John Avildsen, David Frankel and John Lee Hancock among them – share insights into their relationship with a particular city, resulting in a powerful, personal and compelling 12-part series. As of April, the ads received 17 million global impressions across bbc.com. Watch.

Women Inmates: Separate But Not Equal Netflix/New York Times

It reads like hard-hitting investigative journalism, but this piece was commissioned by Netflix to promote its women prison dramedy Orange Is The New Black. Featuring Times-worthy reporting and fresh infographics, it’s a good example of how brands can tell stories that are related to their products with subtlety and taste. This “Paid Post” was a hit with readers, ranking in the Times’ top 1,000 articles for 2014. Read.

Netflix: TV Got Better Netflix/Conde Nast

Condé Nast Media Group teamed up with WIRED to create this insightful cultural survey about the changing landscape of television today, positioning both Netflix and WIRED as cultural authorities. The multimedia, editorial-style native content, including custom videos and high quality writing, captured the addictive nature of Netflix’ original programming. Read.

Beatboxing Transforms Education at Lavelle School for the Blind Wells Fargo/Slate

It might not seem like the most obvious topic to build a campaign around, but when Slate, the popular online news/culture site partnered with Wells Fargo to tell the story of the Lavelle School for the Blind, it was an unmitigated branded content success. With audio commentary and clips of the students beatboxing complementing the story, it was inspiring and powerful work. Read.